Had a great time at winterfest tonight, however, cant help but feel peeved by the multiple teenagers i saw recording videos on their phones during some of the flat rides, as well as some of the coasters such as fury and copperhead strike.

Last year when i attended winterfest someone got kicked off of the rock n roller for having their phone out during the ride. But i didnt see anyone get in trouble for doing it this visit.

Not gonna lie i am worried about a teens phone smashing into my face (or worse, hitting a bystander inside the park at high speeds).

Now i know that the park staff doesnt get paid enough to babysit a bunch of idiot teens, but i think the park could do better. To me it feels like the park staff doesnt actually care that much (considering the guy on copperhead strike recording the entire ride from start to finish got away with it).

Anyone else have similar experiences at carowinds (specifically winterfest)?

This Black Friday, I went to Carowinds. When I arrived, it took almost an hour to park and get my tickets scanned. However, after that, my group and I walked over to Ricochet, where we waited about 15 minutes before boarding.

I have a few complaints: the staff didn't seem happy to be working, the seat buckle got stuck, which caused a 5-minute delay, and the ride itself seems poorly maintained with some jerky areas near the bottom. Overall, it's still a decent ride, but I think it could use some improvements.

After Ricochet, we decided to grab a bite at Chickie's and Pete's, which serves delicious but calorie-heavy chicken and fries (just avoid the buffalo flavor; they're not great). We then rushed over to Fury and waited about 15 minutes. The team was efficient with loading and unloading, making the experience quick and easy. Fury is definitely my favorite ride so far!

Next, we walked to Copperhead and faced a lengthy 2-hour wait. However, the ride was absolutely worth it, making it my second favorite ever! After that, we headed to the Sky Tower, but the parade made it difficult to access, so we opted for Carolina Cyclone instead. I managed to get a front-row seat after a 5-minute wait.

I have some complaints about Carolina Cyclone too: the lift hill shakes and stops several times as the train catches it, making it a rough ascent. Once we finally went down a smooth hill, I was thrust into the first loop, where my head rattled against the headrest. After what felt like an endless series of loops, the ride suddenly came to a halt, which was quite strange. I think the ride could definitely use some additional track.

Finally, we settled down for some watered-down hot chocolate at a messy and noisy "Italian" restaurant and shared a poorly made funnel cake. Overall, I would rate the park an 8.5/10. Some areas, including Ricochet, Carolina Cyclone, and the overall cleanliness of the buildings, could use a little more attention.

I rode Fury last night and was sitting on the far right side and on the way up I realized what would happen if you got stuck near the top? would they open your seat at a 45 degree angle with nothing to your right?? and you walk down a small little ladder 200 feet down? also I heard it stopped halfway near closing is this true?

When they ask you to do reindeer antlers what do they mean?? They’ve said it to me with my mom and my boyfriend and none of us knew what to do lol. Is it like bunny ears with all fingers? Or do you hold up fingers to your own head? I know this is a dumb question but we try to get pictures each time we go so I feel like we need to get this sorted out lol.

New to winter fest so just curious if there’s much of a difference. I went to Scarowinds and the crowds were pretty crazy compared to when I went over the summer

How strict is carowinds on the tempature limits for the rides? Fury and copperhead show a temp limit at 40 and 41 degrees. Looks like they would get shut down around 8pm tonight.

Thinking of bringing my 18 month old to winterfest. Hoping to do some rides while my wife is with the baby. are there any rides/activities worth it for a kid that young, or will they just be cold and miserable lol.

My boyfriend bought 4 winterfest tix but our friends are wanting to arrive a couple hours after us. Since his name is on all the tickets, would we be able to leave the park once our friends got there, and then re-enter with them?

https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/safety-bar-unlatches-on-moving-arizona-roller-coaster/75-ea75c406-1013-491a-aa20-af3238b7a975

Are the rides built better? This has me really freaked out.

Is carowinds open normal hours or just 5-10 for Winterfest? What rides are open?

I was considering going to winter fest on Black Friday. I was wondering if anyone has gone on that day before and if it is usually really busy on that day or not. Thanks!

Hi folks,

I’m going to be visiting Charlotte soon and wanted to ask if WinterFest tickets usually sell out. I was thinking of taking my family on the Friday right after Thanksgiving but don’t have a sense of how crazy/packed it will be. This will help me figure if I have to start mobilizing my family now (we may bring 6+ people) or whether I can buy the tickets on Thanksgiving when I get a chance to see my family and talk to them in person! I’ve never been to Carowinds before so any advice is appreciated.

this includes flat rides too

I would love to see your winterfest pictures/videos so send them down below.

The website description talks about a very detailed backstory involving a guy named Earl and a horrid in his garage. When the park first Opened this season (the first with Intimidators new name) and there was nothing added. All they did was remove anything that references Dale Earnhardt. This made me think that they will add lots of new theming during the off season (just like what they’re doing with I305 at Kings Dominion). Being that it’s closed for Winterfest as they use the lift hill motor for the ice skating rink, it would be the perfect opportunity to add more theming.

How busy does it get for Winterfest? The Queue Times site had our predicted as quiet recently and now it has all the days predicted to be jam packed. Any insight? I've never been to Winterfest and Scarowinds was so busy it wasn't even fun. Thanks!

Does anyone know if we can get any of the winterfest food with our meal plan?

What does everyone think this will be? Sucks we will have to wait until at least 2027 until we get a new large scale coaster. 8 years since Copperhead!

Anywhere I can get tickets for the 29th cheaper than the website?

Was just checking the wait times and it seems that afterburn is open, is this real or just me being stupid?

what’s yalls thoughts on rmc hurler?

We were considering going down on Saturday. Will any of the coasters be open this weekend?

Do they igloo perks like VIP seating cover the whole group I'm with?

It feels like the park management treat Thunder Striker/Intimidator as an overflow ride, hence why its only ever open on weekends and peak summer season. Its a great ride! It's such a shame that it's overlooked because of Fury and classified as the inferior younger brother. I don't understand why park management refuses to have it open for Winterfest alongside Fury. I hate going to the park when its busy and that has really limited how much I can ride Thunder Striker. /rant

Hello all! Trying to decide if we want to make the trip Sunday since it’s the last one with day time hours for the year. Did anybody go yesterday? I know Thunder Striker and Windseeker are closed. Anything else?